World Athletics Championships: With her timing of 9:16.51, Parul also qualified for the Paris Olympic Games next year
India’s Parul Chaudhary during the 3000m steeplechase in Budapest. Pic/Getty Images; (right) India’s 4x400m relay team at Budapest on Sunday. Pic/AFI
India’s Parul Chaudhary and the men’s 4x400m relay team set new benchmarks at the World Athletics Championships here on Sunday, coming up with their best performances.
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Long-distance runner Parul Chaudhary produced a brilliant effort to set a new national record in the women’s 3000m steeplechase.
Parul clocked 9 minutes 15.51 seconds on Sunday to finish 11th overall. She improved on the national record of 9:19.76 held by Lalita Babar of Maharashtra, who set it in the Rio Olympics in 2016.
With her timing of 9:16.51, Parul also qualified for the Paris Olympic Games next year.
The Indian men’s 4x400m relay team of Muhammad Anas Yahiya, Amoj Jacob, Muhammad Ajmal and Rajesh Ramesh came with a lion-hearted effort as it dipped under three minutes once again, finishing fifth overall in 2 minutes 59.92 seconds.
The quartet which had gone neck-and-neck with the mighty United States in the semifinal heat and finishing second in 2:29.05, could not manage to improve on that effort in the final.
But that would not have mattered as the United States team of Quincy Hall, Vernon Norwood, Justin Robinson and Rai Benjamin clocked a world-leading 2:57.31 to win the gold medal. Norwood and Rai Benjamin (anchor) came up with brilliant efforts of 4.01 and 44.02 respectively that really sealed the gold medal for them. France bagged the silver medal in 2:58.45—a national record—while Great Britain claimed bronze with a timing of 2:58.71—their season best. Jamaica were fourth in 2:59.34.
Bol’s blazing burst down the stretch leads Dutch to gold in 4x400 relay
In a come-from-behind victory for the ages, Femke Bol of the Netherlands closed track’s world championships by overcoming a 20-meter deficit down the stretch to finish first in the women’s 4x400 meter relay. With 300 meters to go, Bol wasn’t in the same camera frame with the two leaders, Jamaica’s Stacey Ann Williams and Britain’s Nicole Yeargin. With a half a lap to go, Bol was five steps behind Yeargin. With 100 meters left, her teammates were excited about the prospect of finishing third. The Netherlands time of 3 minutes, 20.72 seconds edged Jamaica by .16sec.
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